Ron's Story
by rvr idtq
Summary: A version of their fifth year at Hogwarts, from Ron's perspective. New Chapter: "Ronald Weasley and the Order of the Phoenix"- Ron's cousin and friends are more than they seem.
1. Waiting for Pig

Ron's Story

(Okay, so it's a lame title, but it's all I could come up with.)

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A/N: This is my first fan fiction. I actually began to write it over a year ago, but I got bored and stopped writing it. I decided to pick it up again a week ago, and I'm hoping I might finish writing it to the end. Anyway, all reviews, good or bad, are welcome so long as they are honest. This is the first mini-chapter, and if you want to read the rest, I need to see some reviews! Also, since I first came to fanfiction.net I've read a lot of very grim fifth year stories with people, buildings, and toads being blown up, ect. This one isn't that end-of-the-world-because-Voldemort-is-back yet, but who knows, I haven't even written to where the actually get to school yet, so anything could happen.

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Ron nudged an overweight frog out of his path as he groggily trudged out of his bedroom. He didn't actually know how the frog had gotten so fast, especially since he was sure that his mother, father, or brother Percy wouldn't have bothered to feed it while he was away at school. He continued on, not really caring if it ate or not. The only reason he still kept it was because it had been a gift from his brothers Fred and George several years ago. It had been one of many eggs at the time, and it was they only one that had made it this far without being stepped on.

Fred and George had always given him unusual gifts. Their hearts were in the right place, but they always ended up giving him some cheap novelty item. Ron couldn't blame them. Everyone in his family seemed to be short on money. Ron had considered getting a job like the muggle children in the village, mowing lawns or something, but pounds couldn't buy him new dress robes. Anyway, his family didn't own a lawn mower since his mother or father just used magic whenever they remembered to.

Halfway down the stairs, he heard a bang and turned to see a cloud of dust bursting out from under the door to Fred and George's room.

"Stop banging about up there and come down to eat you two!" he heard his mother cry from the kitchen. Ron quickened his pace. If he didn't hurry she'd be calling him too.

He sat down, and was soon joined by his twin brothers. They were already dressed, but their clothes were covered with soot from whatever had just exploded in their bedroom.

"Having fun?" he remarked slyly. They both nodded at him and then quickly stopped as their mother turned around. 

"Look at you two!" she cried, "Dragging dirt all through the house, and right after I cleaned the floors! If I wasn't your mother I'd"

"We're sorry mum," interrupted George.

"Yeah, we'll clean it up," continued Fred.

"Too right you will!" their mother replied angrily. She turned to finish cooking the bacon, muttering the entire time.

"Have you heard from Harry yet?" whispered Fred. He and George were leaning across the table, awaiting Ron's reply.

"Nah," he said absentmindedly. His eyes were following a wasp that had flown in through one of the windows. 

"Did you send it with Errol? That would explain it," said George.

"I used Pig, but he's not much better," Ron muttered while Fred nodded in agreement.

"I see you two have been making a mess," said Percy in an almost perturbed tone as he strode confidently into the kitchen. Unlike Fred and George, who were usually fun to have around, Percy acted like a second mother, tagging along behind and reminding them to tuck in their shirts or stay out of the girls' bathroom.

"Good Morning Perce," said George in an oily voice.

"Yes, Percy, please, sit here," continued Fred in the same manner as he pulled out the seat next to him.

"Erthank you," said Percy as he walked to the chair. A moment later he sat down and a thunderous roar escaped from beneath his hindquarters.

"Percy!" cried Fred in mock surprise, "What have you been eating?"

Percy's face began to turn a brilliant shade of red, but not because he was embarrassed.

"What have you two done to this chair?!" he roared as he glared at the twins.

"What are you talking about?" said Fred and George together in an attempt to appear innocent. It didn't work.

As they continued to argue, Ron sat quietly, eating his eggs and watching the ensuing chaos. He wasn't clever or sneaky like the twins, or bossy like Percy. He was always just in the middle. And when your two best friends were the smartest and most famous people in your year, well, being average was almost painfull. He was desperate to leave his mark on the school so that he could show everyone, especially Draco Malfoy, that he was somebody. And there was someone else toobut that wasn't important now.

He went back up to his room and sat down at his desk. He needed to finish his summer homework, but not now. He glanced out the window and

"Pig!!" Ron yelled. He ran to the window and flung it open. Scooping up the ball of feathers he muttered, "Stupid bird. Flying into the closed window again."

He ripped off the note attached to the owl's right leg. He opened it and read:

Dear Ron,

Thanks for the card and present. The Dursley's say I can come next week. You'll pick me up on Friday, right? Write back and tell me when and how you're

coming. We don't want another fireplace fiasco like last summer.

-Harry

Ron made a mental note to reply to Harry as soon as Pigwidgeon regained consciousness. 


	2. Harry's Arrival

Ron's Story

Chapter 2- Harry's Visit

A/N: Well, I only got one review, but I decided to continue anyway. This is the second part of my story. At some point in this chapter, what I wrote a year ago drifts off, and what I'm writing now comes in. In any case, I tried to get more into the character of Ron, which was quite difficult because we have different personalities and almost opposite ways of thinking. Enjoy.

The days leading up to Harry's arrival passed quickly. Ron still hadn't done his homework, but there was always the train ride. Ron's father, who worked at the Ministry of Magic, planned to borrow a ministry car and drive to 4 Privit Drive and pick up Harry. Hopefully, this wouldn't create as great a conflict as the Weasleys' last visit to the Dursleys' house had done. 

"Ron, meet us in our room after breakfast," George whispered as he leaned across the table on the pretense of getting another sausage. It was the morning that they were to pick up Harry, but they weren't leaving the house until noon. 

Maybe they want to blow me up," Ron muttered under his breath. He was looking forward to Harry's arrival, but he always felt ashamed of his run-down home. 

After he finished eating, he wandered upstairs and stopped at the door with the sign reading "Explosions Daily: Do Not Enter." He didn't remember how long the sign had been on the door to the twins' room. Sometimes, he couldn't help wondering if his mum had put it there when they had first moved into that room. 

Pushing open the door, he saw the twins jump up awkwardly.

"Yes, Ron, erwe wanted to see you," began Fred in a businesslike manner.

"Here," George mumbled as he shoved a package into Ron's hands. "We wanted to give this to you before Harry came."

"Now go open it up in your room," said Fred as he ushered Ron out of the room. He turned to ask them why they were giving him whatever it was, but the door slammed in his face before he could utter a word. He went up to his room, examining the box as he went. His birthday was months ago, and it was nowhere near Christmas, so why were Fred and George giving him a gift? Did they spontaneously decide to be generous? He sat down on his bed. It would be just like Fred and George to give him a gift that would blow up in his face. He reached and cautiously slid off the string. With his arms extended as far from his face as possible and his eyes tightly shut, he ripped off the lid and flung the package across the room. Slowly, he opened his eyes a sliver. The box was under his window with its contents spilling out onto the floor. Whatever it was, it was wrapped in a thin tissue paper, but it was wrapped several times over so that it could not be seen through the paper. He walked towards it and kicked it with his foot. The paper unraveled revealing what had been inside the box. But it couldn't be. Why would the twins give him this? Where could they even get the money? 

He stood there, just staring at the dress robes lying on the floor. They were a dark green, almost black, and, unlike his old robes, lace free. He slipped them on over his t-shirt and jeans and found they fit quite comfortably. He didn't look half bad. 

Several hours later, he was sitting in the front passenger seat of a black sedan. His father had been forced to drive the car as no drivers were available. Mr. Weasley had said something about an international conference, but Ron rarely listened when his father began to talk about the ministry. Unfortunately, his father was a poor driver, and the ride was well, interesting. Fred and George had declined to come. In fact, they had declined to open their door when Ron went up to ask them if they wanted to come. 

"We're a bit busy right now!" Fred had yelled through the door as something exploded very noisily in the background.

They arrived at the Dursleys' in time by some strange miracle, and saw a glimpse of Harry's fat cousin Dudley peering through the curtains. The instant the motor stopped, the piggy face disappeared, and a muffled thumping indicated that Dudley was running (or waddling) for cover. 

Vernon Dursley flung open the door with a bang and glared at Ron and his father as though they were some sort of disease. He didn't say anything as the two passed over the threshold. Ron was tempted to ask how Dudley's diet was coming, but the way that mustache was twitching. It would be best if he kept his mouth shut. 

A moment of awkward silence passed, but then another group of slightly softer thumpings indicated that Harry, like Dudley, had been watching when the Weasleys had arrived. However, Harry was running _down_ the stairs, instead of _up_ them as Dudley had done. 

"I'll go help Harry," Ron muttered as he tried to sidestep Mr.Dursley. He looked as though he might tell Ron to stop, but he must have seen Mr.Weasley's wand poking out of his pocket because he said nothing.

Ron helped Harry to get his trunk the rest of the way down the stairs. Then they both ran upstairs to get Harry's owl, even though one person could carry the cage. Ron had never been in Harry's room before. He had helped Harry to escape from this room several years ago, but he hadn't actually been in it. It was the only place in the entire house that didn't smell like floor cleaner. 

The two boys didn't linger in the room. Both wanted to leave the Dursley's house as quickly as possible. Returning downstairs, they found Mr.Weasley attempting to hold a conversation with Mr.Dursley. He was failing miserably.

"Er, let's go boys," Mr.Weasley muttered when he saw the boys at the bottom of the stairs. All three of them hurried outside.

"How can you live there, Harry?" Ron cried when they were all in the car and driving away from the horror that was 4 Privit Drive.

"It's been better since Sirius escaped, but I still spend a lot of time being yelled at," answered Harry with a sheepish grin.

The three arrived back at The Burrow some time later. Ron had spent most of the drive catching Harry up on the Quidditch season. 

"England flattened Bulgaria in the semi-finals, but then they lost to France"

Ginny had been waiting at the door to welcome them home, but she forgot to hold the door open for Ron. She was too busy smiling at Harry. The rusty door crashed down on Ron, leaving a large scrape on Harry's trunk where it had been caught in the door. Ron, feeling embarrassed, quickly covered up the scratch with his hand.

"Ginny!" he grunted as he pushed the door away with his elbow. Ginny blushed a deep red.

"Have you heard from Hermione?" asked Ron when he and Harry had sat down on his bed after carrying Harry's trunk up to the top of the house. 

"Yes, actually. Hedwig came home with a letter from her right before you arrived. I haven't read it yet." answered Harry.

"Well, let's see it!" continued Ron eagerly. Harry pulled a piece of parchment out of his pocket and began to unfold it. 


	3. Free Posters For All

Ron's Story

Chapter 3- Free Posters For All

A/N: For any of you that have actually been waiting for another chapter, it's your lucky day because I've finally decided to pick up the story again. This is really only a transitional chapter designed to move the plot along. Do not distress however. New chapters are coming with lots more action, comedy and romance. (Well, not too much of the last one.) R/R if you want to read the chapters where it really gets interesting!

Harry began to read the letter out loud.

"Dear Harry,

Are you going to see Ron before the summer is over? I thought you were going to try and visit him. If you do see him, tell him hello from me. (I don't know when I'll be able to get another owl.) 

I went to the England v. Bulgaria game last week. Victor sent me tickets so my parents and I could go. Bulgaria lost (as Ron can probably tell you), but it was nice to see Victor again. He also got me some free posters. I have one for you and Ron each. I'll give them to you at school.

I might be going to to Diagon Alley next week for supplies. I'll keep an eye out for you and Ron in case you're there. 

Sincerely,

Hermione"

Ron sat on the bed, trying not to look like he cared that Hermione had seen Victor. He satisfied himself be remembering the moving photograph that had been in the Daily Prophet the day after the match. It had depicted a disappointed Krum nursing a broken arm. The poster would be nice in any case. He could put it up next to his Chudley Cannons one, over the spot where the orange paint was beginning to peel.

"So Harry," he began in an attempt to break the silence, "do you wanna go practice quidditch out in the field?" Harry nodded, and they went downstairs, Harry getting his Firebolt out of his trunk on the way. Ron stopped at the twins' door and knocked.

"We're gonna go out to the field. Do you two want to come?" he called over the sound of glass breaking. A few moments later, Fred and George appeared carrying a copy of the key to the shed that was behind the Weasleys' house. Something about the way they were grinning made Ron slightly uncomfortable. He was fairly sure that his mom didn't know that Fred and George had their own key. 

Ron, Fred, and George got their brooms out of the shed before Fred carefully locked it, making sure that the padlock was in the exact position it had been before they had opened it. 

They went up to the field for a while. Ron got Harry to trade brooms with him for a bit. If only he had his own Firebolt. Then he'd be sure to make the team this year. He supposed that he could find a decent school broom. One of them had to be better than his own Shooting Star. 

Ron returned the Firebolt to Harry after only a short turn. He felt funny borrowing it for long. It was fun to try, but he always felt shabby and poor when he zoomed across the small field on it. He wished more than ever that he could have enough money to buy a faster broom and new school robes and textbooks that hadn't already been through 5 older brothers.

Ron had begged Molly Weasley repeatedly to take them all to Diagon Alley the next week, but she insisted that they couldn't manage it. 

"We'll go the week after next." she replied every time he asked her about it. He would have made a bigger fuss, but he didn't want Harry to see, well, he didn't really need to go next week anyway. It wouldn't matter if he went the week after. He would always see Hermione at school. He didn't even really care if he saw her or not. But he did though, and that was the problem.

He dropped the subject, partially because he made himself not care, and partially because he was afraid the twins would catch on and tease him about it. 

He wondered about Harry. Did he still like Cho, or had last year changed that? It was none of his business really, but he still thought about it. He had been pretty crazy about her last year, especially during the business about the Yule Ball. He shuddered as he remembered his date with Padma Patil. She was alright, but she was, well, ditsy. Now Hermione, she at least thought about things other than pop music and looking pretty.' She was clever, she was smart, she was taken.

As the start of the new school year drew closer, Ron found his thoughts drifting to Hermione, but whenever he thought of Hermione, a tiny voice deep down whispered to him about Krum. All he could do was drown it all out with last minute homework and quidditch.

Finally September 1st came and Ron, along with Fred, George, Ginny, and Harry, was at Platform 9 & 3/4. Harry wanted to wait and find Hermione, but Ron dragged his trunk onto the train right away and went to find an empty compartment. When he found one, he settled into it immediately and buried himself in his Potions essay that he still had to finish. When Harry and Hermione came along a few minutes later, he tried to look like he really was thinking about the essay topic. It took everyonce of focus he had to scratch the last few lines while Harry and Hermione joked. 

He finished, knowing that his essay was terrible, but not caring. Hermione was there and they were on their way back to Hogwarts, the only place where he could ever forget that he was poor, even when Malfoy did tease him.


	4. Toilets and Exploding Snap

Ron's Story

Chapter 4- Toilets and Exploding Snap

A/N: This chapter starts just after the sorting feast. The first bit (the argument about the bathroom) I wrote about a year and a half ago; just after I read Goblet of Fire for the first time. I couldn't resist sticking it in.

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"Aw, come on Hermione!" cried Ron.

"No, you know it's wrong," replied Hermione.

"Please?" Ron was at the point of begging.

"Why do you even want to? It's only a toilet," snapped Hermione.

"A toilet with an olympic sized pool," sneered Ron.

"Do you even know what the olympics are?" asked Hermione. Ron blushed, but Hermione was looking at Harry. "You went in there, Harry. You tell him that it's nothing special."

"Well, actually..." began Harry.

"Hmph!" cut in Hermione. "You two can be awful!" She stormed off down the corridor.

"Five galleons says she's going to the library," whispered Ron as she turned the corner, but Harry wasn't listening.

"It's been over a year," he muttered absentmindedly.

"Since what?"

"Since I've played a match."

"Oh yeah, well, what with the tournament last year and all..." said Ron as his focus switched from Hermione to quidditch.

"We're gonna need a new keeper and captain this year," said Harry in thought. "I wonder who'll try out...."

Ron's ears began to turn pinkish. "Well, I thought I might try out, for keeper I mean." He looked down at his sneakers.

Harry snapped out of his trance. "Really?"

"I guess."

"That's fantastic! It would be great to have you on the team!" Ron relaxed and his ears began to return to their normal shade. Harry looked genuinely excited.

"Thanks Harry."

They began towards the Gryffindor common room, discussing the likelihood of various members of their house trying out for keeper. Ron laughed loudly when Harry mentioned Neville. Harry tried to keep a straight face, but he couldn't keep it up for more than a few seconds, especially with the way Ron was carrying on. 

They calmed down just as they reached the portrait hole. Ron grabbed Harry and pulled him aside.

"Er, Harry, would you mind not mentioning anything about the whole quidditch thing right away? I'd kinda like to stake out the competition first," muttered Ron.

"Sure." shrugged Harry.

They walked up to the portrait hole and realized that they didn't know the password yet. The only prefect they had seen so far was Hermione, and she was nowhere in sight. 

"Can't you just let us in this once?" asked Ron as he looked at the fat lady.

"You know the rules. I need a password." she insisted.

"You know we're Gryffindors. Besides, we won't tell anyone." 

"No, and don't ask again!" The fat lady crossed her arms and turned from them in a way that reminded Ron of Hermione.

They stood there, wondering what to do, when the portrait hole swung open hurridly. Ron jumped back to avoid being hit with it, and he lost his balance and toppled to the floor. He stood up quickly and dusted off his clothes. He looked over to see who had knocked him down, mentally preparing to berate him or her, but when he saw who was standing in the doorway with a sheepish look on their face, he couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?" asked Neville timidly.

"Nothing." muttered Harry as he discreetly stomped on Ron's foot. Ron immediately tried to control himself enough to kick Harry in revenge, but he had already lost his chance- Harry had side-stepped Neville and closed the portrait hole on the two of them. Ron muttered half-hearted obsecnities directed at Harry for a moment before turning to Neville, who was looking bewildered by the whole incident.

"So Neville," began Ron, "why were you in such a hurry?" 

"Well, actually, I was coming to look for you and Harry and Hermione if she was around. Seamus and Dean have been talking about nothing but quidditch since we came up from the feast."

"Really?" interrupted Ron in a bemused tone. "Why?"

"I think Seamus wants to try out for keeper this year." answered Neville. "Anyway, I was getting tired of it, and I thought I might see if any of you were up for a game of Exploding Snap."

"Sure Nevile," said Ron, "just so long as you can remember the password to get us into the tower. I'm afraid dear Harry has shut us out as a joke."

"Uhsugar quills?" said Neville. The portrait hole swung open and the two went in.

While Neville ran off to find his deck of cards, Ron sidled over to where Seamus and Dean were talking with Parvati and Lavender about the upcoming quidditch season.

"Hullo," he said as he entered himself into the conversation. "So, I hear you're thinking of trying out for the team this year, Seamus." he added casually.

"Aye, I was just telling Lavender and Parvatie. Do y'know of anyone else who's trying out?"

"Nah, not yet at least." said Ron as he tried not to grin. He was not the best liar, and he would never pull it off if he couldn't keep a straight face. Luckily Neville came back into the common room at that moment with Harry in tow. He began gesturing furiously at Ron, who slipped off to join them.

They played until the cards had exploded in Neville's face at least a dozen times and he was tired of having his nose singed. He wandered off to the boys' dormitory, and Harry followed shortly after. Ron waited behind for a while. He would never admit it, but he was hoping to see Hermione again before she went to bed, even if it was only to argue with her. She didn't come though, and Ron went to bed a while later, slightly disappointed. 


	5. The Bad Beginning

Ron's Story

Chapter 5- The Bad Beginning

A/N: Okay, I've been a bit behind on this, but here's the latest chapter. I'd like to apologize to Daniel Handler for the little bit of stealing I did in regard to the title of this chapter. I've bought all eight books so far, so you can't get too angry. I'd also like to apologize in advance to Philip Pullman in regard to some characters that will be introduced fairly soon (Hint: think Sally Lockhart trilogy). I hope everyone enjoys this chapter and will keep reading. This chapter isn't too long, but there's another one coming soon.

The next day, Ron woke up suddenly as he was hit in the face with a pillow. He sputtered and sat up to see Harry pulling his school robes over his tee-shirt and jeans across the room.

"Oh, don't try and look innocent," he muttered thickly as he rubbed his eyes.

"You'd better hurry up," said Harry as he headed for the door. "Breakfast starts in five minutes."

"Sod off," muttered Ron as Harry walked out the door. As soon as Harry was gone, Ron jumped up and quickly began to get dressed. He took a quick glance in the mirror in the corner of the dormitory before rushing into the hallway. He'd just have to let his hair stick up like that for now. There was no time to fix it, not that he would have had any luck if he had the chance. 

Coming down from the girls' dormitory was Hermione.

"Oh, hullo Hermione," he muttered as he tried to straighten his robes.

"Hi Ron." She looked down at his feet. "Uh, Ron," she began,

"What?" asked Ron as he began down the stairs. He immediately tripped and slid painfully down the small flight of stairs on his behind. He stood up angrily and rubbed his backside. Hermione stifled a laugh,

"I think," she continued between giggles, "that your shoes are on the wrong feet." Ron blushed furiously as she walked past him. When he was sure she was out of sight, he switched shoes and ran through the common room and out into the corridor.

Several minutes later he reached the Great Hall, tired and out of breath. He wandered over to Gryffindor table and slumped down between Harry and Hermione. Harry passed him his schedule and he groaned as though he was about to be sick.

"Are you all right?" asked Neville concernedly as he reached across the table to grab the milk jug.

"No," groaned Ron as he pushed a scrambled egg on his plate around with a fork.

"What, did your tumble down the stairs knock something loose?" asked Hermione with a sarcastic grin.

"Not it the slightest Miss I like to laugh at people in pain,'" said Ron scathingly. "I just looked at the classes for today, and you'll be happy to know that our first class is Care of Magical Creatures" They stared at him, unsure of what was wrong with having Care of Magical Creatures first. Then, Ron decided he had let his dramatic pause run long enough and finished: "with the Slytherins." Harry groaned also and Hermione sighed heavily.

"Not again" wailed Neville.

At that moment, as if on cue, Draco Malfoy, along with Crabbe and Goyle standing on either side of him like bodyguards, sauntered up to the table. He placed a pale hand on Ron's shoulder. Ron shrugged him off. 

Ron glared at him. "Get lost Malfoy, before I shove this sausage up your-"

"Temper, Weasel," crooned Malfoy in an oily voice before Ron could finish. "No need to get nasty on your first day back at dear, old Hogwarts."

Harry glared at Malfoy. "I think it's time for you to back to your table," he muttered through gritted teeth.

"So Weasel," continued Malfoy in complete disregard of Harry, "I hear there are some new spots open on the quidditch team. Are you going to try out to be the uniform laundrymaid?" Ron jumped at Malfoy, but Harry and Hermione held him back. When Ron found that he wasn't going to be able to throttle Malfoy, he immediately began a sting of colorful language that was enough to shock even Malfoy. Unfortunately for Ron, Professor McGonagall chose that moment to see what the trouble was. Ron continued swearing at Malfoy even after Harry elbowed him in the side and Hermione desperately whispered for him to stop. He finished his tirade and looked to see what everyone else had noticed log before- McGonagall was standing only a few feet away and was staring right at him.

He hurriedly tried to explain. "Professor, I"

"I believe I've heard enough already Weasley. Ten points from Gryffindor and you will be serving detention this evening." She paused in thought. "Yes, I think that Mr. Filch will be able to find a job filthy enough to match your mouth. You will report to his office at 8:00. McGonagall stormed off to the teachers' table.

And if that wasn't enough.


	6. A Turn of Events

Ron's Story

Chapter 5- A Turn of Events

A/N: Chapter 6, back by popular demand. This chapter is where the, well, action begins. Ron's adventure begins, and I'm hoping it will be good enough to rival even Harry's heroic stories. Thanks to everyone for reading it, and I hope you'll like this chapter. Just a note- from now on there will be occasional switches from Ron's perspective to Harry's because of the plot. However, the timing will be slightly different between the two points of view because of certain events.

Ron's day continued in the downward spiral that had begun when he had put his shoes on the wrong feet. Care of Magical Creatures had been abysmal. Malfoy had made snide references to the incident at breakfast. He especially seemed to enjoy comparing Ron's mouth to the various parts of the horklumps that they were examining. The only high point was when Hermione discretely cursed Malfoy when he wasn't looking. He hadn't noticed that his hair had turned a putrid shade of green until Pansy Parkinson had noticed him and begun screaming hysterically. Hagrid had let her take Malfoy to the hospital wing. Ron couldn't blame him. If he had been in Hagrid's position, he would have wanted to get rid of Pansy- especially with the way she was wailing incessantly about poor Draco.'

By lunch, Ron was ready to go back to bed. After Care of Magical Creatures he had suffered through a painful Divination lesson in which Professor Trelawney had decided that for a change, Harry would be kicking the bucket and taking Ron with him. Now Lavender and Parvati were treating the two of them with utmost delicacy. Apparently they were afraid that even speaking loudly in their presence would be enough to murder them. Ron had tried to remedy this by purposefully provoking Goyle enough to get a punch in the stomach in front of the two of them. He thought that it would convince them that he wasn't a dainty flower that would blow over in the wind. However, it just persuaded them that he had a personal death wish.

As he sat at the table, picking at the food in front of him and trying to ignore the stabbing pain coming from his bruised abdomen, he realized that he hadn't yet looked to see what he had next. He pulled his now wrinkled schedule out of his pocket and handed it to Harry. "You read it," he groaned, "I can't bear to look."

Harry began to read. "One o'clock, Defense Against the Dark Arts" he trailed off suddenly, and Ron, who had only been half-listening to that point, turned and looked at him.

"So? Who's teaching?" said Ron. "It's not Snape then, is it?"

"No, not Snape," said Harry quietly.

"Well then?"

"Professor F. Delacour," read Harry.

"Fleur?" asked Ron with his jaw dropped. Harry nodded.

"But she wasn't at the feast last night, was she?" said Ron. At that moment, Hermione appeared and walked over to the table and stood next to Ron and Harry.

"I suspect," she began, "that she may not have arrived until late last night."

"You knew about this?" asked Ron, slightly dismayed.

"Well, I am a prefect" She trailed off quietly as though she wanted to change the subject. Ron didn't take the hint however.

"You knew and you didn't tell us?!" Ron whispered angrily.

"I didn't think it was that important," she retorted.

"What's the point of you being a prefect if you won't tell us anything?"

"I'm not supposed to tell you anything!"

"Do you always have to do what you're supposed' to do?"

Hermione looked as though she was about to explode.

"Don't bother," muttered Ron, I'll storm off for you." He jumped up and made a sarcastic gesture out of offering his seat to Hermione. When she didn't take it, he threw his arms up and left the hall.

He raged down the halls, not really going anywhere in particular. He didn't even stop when he ran into a timid second year and sent her and her books tumbling to the floor. His face was burning as red as his hair with fury. He never even realized that he was being followed, that he was making himself a perfect target, until it was too late. 

Ron made his way down a deserted corridor. The soft carpet prevented him from hearing the footsteps that followed his own. He slowed down, out of energy, and as he did, a club like fist appeared out of nowhere and slammed into his skull. Bright colors swirled in front of his eyes for a moment before fading and turning to total darkness. His muscles went limp, but before he could hit the ground, a strong hand, the one that had silenced him, caught his arm roughly and flung his lanky body over a broad shoulder.

Harry and Hermione finished their lunches in near silence. Neville tried twice to start a conversation, but neither of them responded beyond nodding. It wasn't until they were heading to Defense Against the Dark Arts that either of them spoke.

"Harry," began Hermione, "is he alright?"

"Yeah," muttered Harry. "He'll be fine. He'll show up in class and be distant for a few hours before he realizes that it's not worth it." Hermione nodded in agreement and they continued to class. They reached the room and sat down just before the bell rang. Harry glanced around the room and noticed an empty desk, but before he had a chance to see who was missing. Fleur entered the room carrying a pile of books and placed them on the teacher's desk.

"First, I will take ze role, and then we will begin." She looked nervous.

She went down the list of names, struggling with some of them. When she reached Harry's name, she smiled and marked him present. She was almost finished when she smiled again and looked up from her paper for the other student that she knew. She glanced over the rows and frowned. "Where iz Ronald?" she asked in though. Harry looked around the room.

The empty seat was Ron's.


	7. An Unexpected Meeting

Ron's Story

Chapter 7- An Unexpected Meeting

A/N: Well, here's the next chapter and I hope it will clear up a few questions. Some new characters are introduced, and a few new possibilities open in terms of where the story will go. I'm actually still deciding myself, so it might be a bit before the next chapter.

"What the?" Ron opened his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair. His head was throbbing spectacularly. He looked around the room. It was fairly large and poorly lit. A single candle was perched on a ledge near him. Most of the room was in shadow. He stood up slowly, supporting himself against a wall. He groaned. It seemed like every bone in his body ached.

Suddenly he noticed a half-hidden door on the other side of the room. He walked towards it. If no one was around, he might as well let himself out. With his fingers only inches from the steel handle, he paused. Had he imagined it or had he really heard something moving behind him? He turned. The room was still empty. Or so he though.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Ron jumped and whirled around. A dark figure was coming out of one of the shadowed corners. The hair on the back of his bristled, but what goo was that? He was tired, weak, and he could hardly think straight with the way his brain was pulsating in pain. Against his instincts and his better judgement, he let down his guard and relaxed. If this person were going to kill him, they would do it whether or not he tried to stand up straight and seem noble and vigilant.

"What wouldn't you do?" he asked with a heavy release of air.

"That door handle, it's rigged. You'll blow your arm off," said the voice. Now that Ron's wits were more or less collected, the voice seemed less powerful. It carried a strange accent- it was light and nearly undetectable but never the less there. Before Ron had much time to wonder about the stranger's nationality, the figure walked into the range of the faltering candlelight.

It was a young man, probably no older than Ron's brother Bill, but his face seemed tired in a way that reminded Ron of Lupin. His eyes, like his untidy hair, were dark and slightly eerie. His face was as lined with laughter as worry, however, and Ron couldn't help but feel slightly comforted by his presence. Maybe he would make it to his sixteenth birthday next March instead of dying here in this miserable room.

"My name is Roan," he said as he held out his right hand to Ron. "Roan Jacobson."

"I'm Ron Weasley," muttered Ron somewhat thickly, "and I have absolutely no idea of why I'm here and why my head is throbbing."

"I can tell you that," said Roan without any hint of sarcasm. "You are close to Harry Potter and one of Voldemort's less prestigious, but none the less enterprising supporters dreaded to muck up things for Harry and Dumbledore quite thoroughly by kidnapping you. Of course, it never occurred to them that while they were sneaking through Hogwarts in search of you, they might try to finish it all by simply knocking off Harry. But such is the irony of evil- it always complicates things much more that it needs to."

Ron stared slightly aghast at Roan. He had come up with all of that in approximately two seconds. Moreover, he knew exactly who Ron was and Ron had no idea who he was.

"Er"

"Sorry to startle you," began Roan before Ron could completely develop a reply. "When you spend half your life chasing death eaters you tend to learn things about the people they are chasing."

Ron looked at the man. Surely he couldn't have been chasing death eaters for half of his life. He would have had to start when he was younger than Ron himself.

"But how"

"No time," interrupted Roan. "Do you happen to have your wand?" Ron rummaged through his pockets. Everything was there except, of course, for his wand. He shook his head.

"Well, it doesn't matter. I'm guessing that one of these walls will be exploding fairly soon, and I doubt you'd want to loose an appendage from the flying debris." Ron wanted to ask why the wall would be exploding and how Roan knew this and a dozen other questions, but he thought it would be best to shut up.

Sure enough, muffled noises could soon be heard from outside the room. Roan pressed his right ear up to one of the walls to listen. Ron wasn't sure how he could hear anything through what looked like a stone wall, but he didn't say anything. Suddenly Roan jumped away from the wall and the hair on the back of Ron's neck bristled again. Ron, closely followed by Roan, ran across the room, diving for cover just as the first blast rocked the wall they had just been standing next to. The whole room quaked and heavy stones thudded to the floor.

"This is an undignified death," muttered Ron as he lay on the ground with his arms over his head. He tried to look over to Roan, but the flying dust was like heavy fog. He thought, however, that he could see Roan sitting with his back up against the wall, as calm as anything.

The crashing stopped and Ron scrambled to his feet. Slowly the dust began to clear. Several figures were standing in what looked to be a large arched doorway. Then Ron realized that it had been made by the explosion. He stood alert with his back, waiting for them to do something. The air became less and less cloudy and he was able to distinguish the features of the two in the doorway. 

One was a young woman, younger than Roan, with medium length, mousy brown hair. The other seemed familiar to Ron, but he didn't know why at first. It was a man, also younger than Roan, but taller than him too. His hair was a reddish brown and he was smiling. It was not however, the evil sort of grin one would expect from someone who had just blown up a wall. On the contrary, it was a good natured, laughing sort of grin, and Ron recognized it immediately.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, Jonathan?!" cried Ron as he walked across the room. Jonathan laughed.

"If I had known you were in here, I wouldn't have been so hasty. Molly would kill me if your head had been smashed in by falling debris."

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"Harry, what if" began Hermione. She trailed off as though she didn't want to say what she was really thinking.

"He's fine. He's gotta be up in the dormitory. He probably just lost track of time."

"But he's never skipped class like this before."

"He's also never been angry like that before."

"I don't know though"

"If he doesn't show up, we'll go to Dumbledore, alright?"

"Yeah. I guess."

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	8. Ronald Weasley and the Order of the Phoe...

Ron's Story

Chapter 8- Ronald Weasley and the Order of the Phoenix

A/N: Woahit's been a long time since I updated this one. For any faithful readers out there, I'm really sorry about all of this. Computer problems, lost drafts and a simple lack of time have delayed all of my writing for quite a while. School is out now for me, and in a cruel twist of irony I've found my zip disk. I'm hoping from now on too keep on top of things. In terms of "Ron's Story." I can't even remember now where I was going with this story. However, I'm planning on wrapping everything up in a couple of chapters and making some sense out of all of it. A final note, the scenes with Ron from the last chapter are at least 6 hours ahead of the scenes with Harry and Hermione in that chapter. In this chapter, the Hogwarts stuff catches up a bit.

Harry paced the floor of the crowded common room.

"What time is it now?" asked Hermione quietly from her chair.

"Almost nine. I don't think he's going to show up. We should see Dumbledore."

"Yes." she trailed off. "Harry, what if.what if You-Know-Who-"

"We should go now." Harry cut her off. He walked out through the portrait hole, and she followed.

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"I thought you were still in France," said Ron incredulously.

"Well, technically, I am," said Jonathan. Ron looked puzzled. "I'll explain in the car. We've got to get out of here now before we get mobbed."

The four of them -Ron, Jonathan, Roan, and the girl- left the building through a path that seemed to have been cleared mostly through explosions. 

"You did always love blowing things up," said Ron as they passed through a room where holes had been cleared through two stone walls. Jonathan smiled. Both of the walls had doors on them.

"Property damage, you see," said Jonathan. He aimed his wand offhandedly at a wall they passed and knocked a large hole in it. "We make as much mess going in and out as possible. It throws them off a bit."

"Of course Jonathan doesn't mind the extra work," said the girl with a grin.

"Of course not," returned Jonathan with the same smile as he overturned a desk in the room they were passing through.

They finally made it out of the giant house to the street where a rickety looking Volkswagen Beetle was waiting.

"I wasn't expecting an extra passenger when I picked it out, but we should all fit," said Jonathan as he jumped into the driver's seat. The girl got into the front passenger's seat, and Ron and Roan scrambled into the back.

"I'm Marie, by the way," said the girl to Ron as Jonathan slammed down on the acceleration.

"Don't spread it around," began Jonathan slyly, "but Marie and I are engaged."

"Really?" asked Ron. "Mum will be ecstatic. You'll have to invite all of us."

"We haven't set a date yet, what with all that's going on," said Marie.

"Yes," said Roan calmly as he looked out the back window, "like the very ominous looking vehicle that appears to be following us."

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Harry and Hermione rushed to Dumbledore's office.

"Wait, Professor!" called Harry just as Dumbledore was disappearing through the entrance. He stopped and came back out.

"What is it that's making you two so out of breath?" asked Dumbledore calmly.

"Ron," began Harry.

"He's disappeared, and we don't know where he's gone," finished Hermione.

"Come into my office and explain everything," said Dumbledore, and the three of them went in.

"Now," said Dumbledore once they were all seated, "when did you last see Mr. Weasley?"

"During lunch," said Harry. "He, um, got upset and ran off."

"I see."

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Ron whirled around in his seat. There was a car following them, a very large car that looked perfectly capable of running right over the tiny Volkswagen.

"Turn there!" said Marie, pointing down a conveniently placed alley. Jonathan, who turned out to be a decent driver, made a very accurate turn and sped down into the alley. 

"Your spare is under the seat, Roan," he said as he tried to navigate in the almost complete darkness without headlights. Roan fished under the seat and pulled out a long box with a wand in it. Marie opened the glove compartment.

"Here, take Jonathan's extra," she said as she passed Ron a wand. "Those two go through wands the way kids go through candy."

"It's not our fault really," said Roan with the smile. "I can't help it if my wand gets taken away whenever I get captured."

"And it's not my fault either if the wood can't stand up to all the flying debris," said Jonathan.

"Watch the road," said Marie, and Jonathan swerved to avoid a trashcan.

"We'll send an owl to Dumbledore once we get someplace relatively safe," said Jonathan. "You know, just let him know you're not dead and that you're spending some quality time with your cousin who really should be in France but is too busy rescuing his dear friend with his fiancée for the seventeenth time this week."

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"Well," began Dumbledore, it's funny that you came down here to tell me about Mr.Weasley. Your timing is impeccable." Harry was surprised. Dumbledore seemed amazingly calm for someone who had just been told that one of his students had been missing for several hours.

"Why is that, sir?" asked Hermione shakily. Dumbledore smiled and handed her the letter he had been carrying when they reached him. She recognized Ron's scrawling handwriting immediately on the address.

"Dear Professor," she read aloud, "I don't know if you noticed, but I disappeared this afternoon. I'm all right, and I've met up with my cousin Jonathan. It's a long story, but he says you'll understand. Can't say where I am, but I'll be back at the school as soon as possible.

Sincerely,

Ronald Weasley

P. S.

Please tell Harry and Hermione, along with any of my siblings that have noticed I am gone, that I am not dead."

"Professor," began Harry, "what's going on with Ron?"

"It seems that, quite by accident, Ron has gotten involved in the business of the order. His cousin is a member, you see."

"Order, sir?" asked Hermione.

"The Order of the Phoenix."


End file.
